Shopping Spree!

...don't worry! It wasn't me.

Given our newfound breathing room, Mr. Darling and I took to the shops last week and I shopped vicariously through him. Not to boast, but Mr. Darling is quite gorgeous and has amazing taste, so we have had a good deal of fun shopping together over the years. This day, we hit Holt Renfrew - specifically the Diesel boutique in search of a new pair of jeans. Well wouldn't you know it, they had just begun a huge 50% off sale! (Anyone remember my retail profile???)

When we arrived, we saw a familiar face. Mr. Darling is partial to Diesel denim so this was far from our first visit and the man, Lyndon, was there to help us. Mr. Darling got a slew of deals! From a marvy summer shirt perfect for the cottage to not one, but two spectacular leather jackets, essentially for the price of one. The first, a classic black motorcycle style, the second, potentially one of the most gorgeous jackets I have ever seen. The softest leather, the most sumptuous moss green colour with a beautiful pale yellow lining.

It was great deals and a great day. The only way it could have been better would have been if they had the jacket in my size!

And if I was out of Fashion Rehab.

Love, P

Denim in Distress

“Honey, does my butt look big in these jeans?”

“Big? No, of course not. Saggy? Well, maybe just a little bit”.

Has this ever happened to you? Well, it happened to me last Saturday. We were going out for dinner and I needed a little reassurance about my outfit so I posed the ever annoying “Does my butt (or thighs, boobs, whatever) look big/small/lumpy in these jeans (or dress, top, bikini, etc)?” question to my significant other. I know guys strongly dislike that question but sometimes you just have to throw it out there. My man has not ever really been one to sugarcoat things, but I have to admit that I was a little taken aback when he told me that I had a mild case of droopy drawers in what were my favorite jeans.

The sad part is that I think he was right. Deep down I knew my everyday “go-to” jeans had lost their luster but I was in serious denial. After all, what can I possibly do about it? I can’t go out and by a properly fitted fabulous new pair, so I am stuck with what lies within the four walls of my closet.

But, if I could buy just one pair right now it would be these (pictured above) Skyline Skinnys by Paige in Gypsy. They are a perfectly distressed medium wash with a skinny leg and stretch through the hips and thighs. I want to strut down the street sporting these designer denims and I want my man to say, “Damn, girl, you look good.” Sigh. A girl can dream, right?

Love, A

Letter #1

Dear Club Monaco,

First off, let me apologize for not being in touch sooner. My life has become complicated and though that is a pretty lame excuse, I'm hoping it will stand-in as an explanation.

I want you to know that you have done nothing to bring this on. It's not you, it's me. This is something that I had to do for myself.

Even more importantly, I want you to know that I am not seeing anyone else. I have been completely and totally off the market since I saw you last, May 14th, 2009, a day that is burned in my mind as one of the saddest of my life so far. I saw that you have installed a new feature on your website, the "Monthly Must-Haves". At first I thought you did it just to get back at me for leaving you, but I realize how arrogant that is. You told me more than once that "not everything in your store is about me".

I want you to know that this is only temporary. I will wait for you, but I understand if you can't wait for me. In the meantime, I will hold longingly on to the few pieces I have of you that remain - the perfectly tailored black jacket, the gorgeous teal leather tote, the cashmere cardigan...

I miss you and think of you more often than you can imagine.

I hope you can forgive me.

Love, P

A Mascara for the Ages

I will be the first to admit that I am LAZY with the mascara. Sometimes I curl, sometimes not. Sometimes two coats, but most of the time one. I do not take the time to do it right. I would guess that most people don’t even think I wear mascara. When I saw the ad for Maybelline’s battery-operated “Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara” in this month’s Allure magazine, I thought, “Wow, this is something I really could use!”

I then became saddened by the thought that I would have to wait until May 2010 before I would be able to try this high-tech wand on my barely there, often naked, lashes. Apparently Maybelline’s magic brush vibrates 7000 times per stroke. And it is only 15 bucks! And it makes your lashes perfect, or so Maybelline says. I want perfect lashes! (Can you almost hear me stomping my feet?).

For now I guess I am stuck with my old boring non-electronic mascara. Hmm… I wonder what would happen if I taped it to my electric toothbrush?

Love, A

It's in the Bag

The other night, hoping for some R & R, my friend Courtney and I decided to hit the cinema. We settled on "The Proposal" and braced ourselves for a night of predictability, laughs and inspiration (have you seen Sandra Bullock's bod??? Nice work, Mrs. James!).

For the first twenty minutes, I couldn't concentrate. I missed some jokes, the plot set-up eluded me. By the time I snapped out of it, I realised a third of the movie was gone and I had not really been paying any attention. The truth is I was completely mesmerized by one of the most gorgeous bags I have ever seen. (For some, it's shoes. For me, it's bags. Straight up.)

After staring intently at this beige beauty dangling from Sandy's arm, I caught a flash of gold and I knew instantly: Prada. Gorgeous, soft, Italian leather. The perfect size. This bag would go with anything! I couldn't stop watching it; in her hand, on her arm, over her shoulder...

How can I make it mine? Anyone know if Prada offers a ten-month layaway plan???

It will be mine. Oh yes.

Love, P

Time After Time

Two hundred and ninety-nine days, one hour, twenty-four minutes, and fifty-one seconds.

That is what the countdown clock read when I logged in on Sunday to check the results of our latest poll. My heart thumped with excitement! The joys of being in the “200’s”! We have passed the 300 day mark. Now we only have over 200 hundred days to go!

That seems doable, right?

Doable, maybe, if you live in a tree house in the Amazon.

Love, A

Simply Good Advice

One of my top 5 favorite magazines (and one of A's too, she mentions it in Tailor Made), Real Simple, had this advice on offer in one of their recent issues, "When life hands you lemons, add alcohol."

Having survived just over two months in Fashion Rehab, that's some advice I'm gonna take!

Love, P

Drop Dead Diva

I watched the pilot episode of a cute new show last night called “Drop Dead Diva”. Let it be known to all y’all that I have not increased my television watching since I have stopped shopping (I still haven’t even watched Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette) but I am always scoping out new programs to add to my DVR.

“Drop Dead Diva” is the story of Deb, a blond size 2 model/actress who gets in a car accident and through her freaky encounters at the pearly gates, ends up entering the body of a plus sized over-worked and under-accessorized lawyer named Jane (Brooke Elliot). At this point Deb realizes she is set to live in Jane’s body forever. Various scenes unfold revealing that Deb was quite shallow in her past, while the former Jane was a selfless Meals on Wheels volunteer and humanitarian. Although the new Jane immediately rejects this new fate of stiff suits and sensible shoes, she slowly starts to realize that maybe this is her chance to find deeper meaning in a life that she once took for granted.

The cast of characters include a cute guardian angel named Fred, Jane’s (really Deb’s) beautiful model best friend Stacy, Deb’s ex boyfriend (who, coincidentally, is hired at the same law firm that Jane works), Jane’s no-nonsense assistant, played by the talented Margaret Cho, and of course there is the token office vixen, Kim, who is trying to promote herself through the ranks of the firm at Jane’s expense.

It is quirky and cute, and most definitely has been done before, but maybe not in such a heartfelt way. The hurrah moment for me was when Jane shames evil Kim by outing her knockoff Birkin Bag, something the “old Jane” would not have been able to do. Score one for the brainy fashionistas out there!

Could this be the next Ally Mcbeal? Who really knows? Who really cares? For now, it will fill that much needed void until “Gossip Girl” returns in the fall.

Love, A

It's a Perd! On a Plane!

This is not good. Not good at all. It's cramped, hot and someone on this teeny tiny airplane definitely forgot to put deodorant on this morning. (Oh God, I hope it wasn't me!)

The propellers spring into action, the grating noises mount... Here we go. This is awful. I am miserable. I'm on my way (via munchkin plane, apparently) to visit my mom (The Mater). It has been many a moon since I have travelled to my mother's house in a small town in Massachusetts - we calculated about four years, n'est-ce pas, Mama? - and cranky, agitated and aggravated is not how I want to arrive.

It seems as if there is no solution. I can't read either a book or a magazine because it is too bumpy and it makes me dizzy, ditto write in my journal, can't listen to my fave podcasts (Q and The Moth - soooo good!) because I can't hear a GD thing, can't eat because I feel nauseous, can't sleep because I just drained a grande cup of coffee. Good grief! As I route around in my carry-on for something, God, anything! to occupy myself, I find deep in one of the many pockets a set of earplugs. I put them in, chase some Gravol with what's left of my coffee and browse through photos on my iPod feeling my sourness begin to sweeten. And it occurs to me. Just when you think that everything sucks and you are cranky and grouchy and less than impressed with your current circumstances, there is only one thing to do: get creative and remind yourself that whatever it is, it won't last forever.

Sounds like good advice for someone in Fashion Rehab...

Love, P

Can You Dig It?

I did it. I followed my own advice. I went into my boyfriend's closet (ok, he is my husband, but whateves) and stole his jeans.

He said, "You look cute."

I said, "I am wearing your jeans."

He said, "Ooh, I am in love."

Alright, you got me, he didn't actually say the "love" part, but he really did dig the look. What do you think?

Love, A

Timing is Everything

And the struggle continues. After many, many months of struggling, not only have I had a windfall (which I wrote about in Money Honey), but now Mr. Darling has, too. We couldn't be gladder, for all the obvious reasons: being able to exhale, relax and finally feel a bit more carefree. But (and I don't want to sound like a whiny prat) I think we can agree after a period of struggle, it is natural to want to celebrate and treat (evil concept!) one's self to... well, stuff. Right?

To tell the truth, one of the reasons I am feeling a bit panicky right now is because since we are both freelancers, I'm afraid that that by the time we get through this hellish ordeal (by "we" I mean A & I and by "ordeal" I mean Fashion Rehab), we may find ourselves once again in tough times (the "we" in this case being Mr. Darling and I). I resent this fear. In an attempt to do battle with it, I keep telling myself that this is how it's supposed to go. For some excruciatingly mysterious reason, we were both meant to have a rush of cash now, just over six weeks after I've admitted myself into Fashion Rehab.

Now, I ask for your help, dear reader(s) - god I hope there are more than one of you! What do you do to cheer yourself that doesn't include retail therapy? I would really love any suggestions or advice. I think you can tell I need it!

Love, P

Tailor Made

The other night whilst lying in bed perusing the pages of my Real Simple magazine, I came across a savvy little article called “The No-Shop Wardrobe”. Hmmm, I thought to myself, the words “no”, “shop”, and “wardrobe” all seem to pertain to my current situation, so I hunkered down and dug deep into the article, missing my 10:00 bedtime curfew!

The gist of the article is that basically one can re-invent their wardrobe with just a few trips to the tailor. Highlights include tapering old boot cut trousers into sexy cigarette pants, embellishing a tank blouse with a chunky costume necklace, and chopping the bottom off of a strapless dress creating a cute form-fitted top with a peplum.

For more of a fashion forward wardrobe makeover, might I suggest tailoring your existing pieces to fit these trends:

1. Adding fringe to a bag or jacket (not sure I am ready for this style again but if Alexander McQueen is doing it, you probably should, too).
2. The “boyfriend jean/sweater/blazer” phenomenon continues to be strong for the fall, so why not dig deep into Mr. Right’s closet and steal a few of his things? Items should be oversized but not falling off, a trip to the tailor should fix those sloping shoulders.
3. Chopping off any long dresses to mid thigh can be key for any budget conscious fashionista. Take a style note from Diane von Furstenburg, whose Fall ’09 collection is showing adorable long sleeved velvet mini dresses paired with slouchy hats.
4. Also, structure is definitely "in", so grab those blazers and blouses and head to the tailor to obtain the best fit possible. Oh, and while you are at it, you should probably take your bra pads and shove them in the shoulder lining of your jacket because that is where this trend is headed!

Love, A

Brother (and Sisters) in Arms

Looks like we're not the only ones undergoing a year of change. Check out this amazing threesome from British Columbia. They are my inspiration! Hats off to you, Grant, Rhyannon & Jenny!

Love, P

P.S. Happy 1st birthday, Baby E!